Momochi
by Biter Raygun
Summary: With only a few weeks until her sweet 16, Fukunuma Mana's sixth sense starts to really kick her ass. More so than usual. The upcoming costume party that she has been commissioned for only adds to the stress in the weeks to follow. Oh, and don't even get her started on this clown of a chairman who shows up to tell her she's as good as demon bait.(Celestial Bride rewrite)
1. MoNsters

**Quick disclaimer before the newbies hound me: This is a bit of a crossover between the manga Black Bird and the anime/manga Blue Exorcist. Due to this mainly following the blue exorcist story line and mention/interaction with black bird characters doesn't come in until much later, this won't be moved into the crossover section until that time. For those of you who have never heard of Black Bird, it's by Sakurakoji Kanoko, and it's a highly entertaining read.**

**Blue exorcist and its characters belong to Kato Kazue.**

**Black Bird and the original 'senka' myth belongs to Sakurakoji Kanoko.**

**YuYu Hakusho and characters belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro. (Just for the slight mentioning of it here)**

**Any and all OC's belong to me. Any resemblance of an original character to a character of another anime/manga are purely coincidental.**

* * *

I've always been able to see through those cheesy television shows about ghost hunters and fake exorcism.

"Huh, so Japan seems to be getting better with its CGI techniques."

"Huh!? How can you say that!? It looks soooo real!"

It's also plain to see that television producers and script writers have never seen true ghosts and spirits by their portrayal of them.

"Look, you can tell it's CGI, it almost looks two-dimensional."

"Dammit, senpai, can't you just enjoy the show?"

Of course not. Because ghosts and spirits aren't real.

"Look, look! His lips moved, he must have spoken! They'll get it all on the recorder!"

But monsters sure are.

I flicked the little creature off of my shoulder as it bit down, drawing a droplet of blood. A thin, elven-like being with skin the color of milky green tea and diamond dust wings that were only seen when it turned under the flourescent lighting provided by the art club's ceiling. Emi, Sakuya, and Ruki hovered around the small T.V. that only got about ten channels, most of which were the bogus news specials about ghosts.

Sakuya pushed his glasses further up on his nose, running a hand through messy curls the color of charcoal. Out of everyone in the club, a sad population of four, he was by far the most picture perfect. Higurashi Sakuya had a knack for photography, but never stepped in front of the camera himself. He looked very much like an American hipster model; messy hair, chunky glasses, and an ambiguous fashion sense. He was a sight that you didn't see often in a small town like ours, which made him all the more desirable. To normal girls, anyway. In my eyes he was just a smart ass. A very attractive smart ass.

He cleared his throat, throwing me a sideways glance. He stood from the stool and shook his head, managing to capture the other's attention. "She's right. Although it does look rather striking, the animators could easily use the camera angles to their advantage. Also, certain amounts of lighting and darkness could play into it. I don't believe it."

Emi pouted, springing up and throwing her arms back behind her head. It was easy to tell those two happened to be related. Both were tall and well-structured, with the same charcoal hair and swamp-green eyes. Emi, however, was the tanner of the two and had an oval face, where Sakuya was pale and had an angular jaw. People confused them for brother and sister often, which would earn a scowl from the taller of the two, and cause Emi to cry out in laughter.

"C'mon, you too? You always side with Mana-senpai on these things, you spoiled sport!"

Teasing grin, narrowed eyes, both of which we all knew well and knew exactly what she was implying. Sakuya only scoffed, turning his gaze to smile at me. I glared back, trying to redirect the heat rising in my cheeks to intensify my gaze.

"Fukunuma has a good eye, as well as a good mind. I only prefer to take her side because she has a good head on her shoulders. Fukunuma, also, is aware of this," Sakuya said, a semi-taunting tone squeezing its way in between his sentences.

I snarled out a laugh, leaning back against the desk only a few feet from the trio. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Higurashi. Oi, Emi. Don't press your face against the glass, you'll damage your eyes." I deadpanned at the silly girl, who pulled back blinking rapidly.

"I still don't see it, though!" Emi cried out.

Sakuya put a hand on her shoulder, leaning down so that their heads were level, while his other hand stretched out, poking the glass harshly. "Keep an eye on the next time they show the clip. look at the edges of the apparition and keep an eye on its basic texture. You'll see what I mean."

The sound of screeching and a camera being dropped repeated itself as the hunters revealed the clip to the owner of the temple. Emi released a sound of disappointment, folding her arms over her large bust. "Oh, damn! I really was hoping it would be a real one..." Sakuya stood, and she peered over her shoulder at me. "Senpai, you're always the first to pick up on these things. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you watch these shows more than you'd like us to know."

Ruki smiled, getting up and twisting the dial to turn off the T.V. His violet irises twinkling in their usual playful way. "Or, maybe, she can see real ghosts. Like a medium, or psychic."

Emi sprung from her chair, grabbing me by the arms and shaking me in a way that made my head snap back and forth. "Senpai! Is that true? Are you a Psychic? Tell me, will there be any scary encounters in my next life?"

I shoved her off, rubbing my sore neck. "Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!"

"Ah, then are you saying that I'll live a normal li-" Emi was cut off by Sakuya's hand clamping tightly over her mouth.

"Ugh... so noisy... Of course she can't see things like that. Only an idiot would believe it. Besides, you're not gonna get reincarnated. You only get one life, and after that, it's over." Sakuya cringed, wiping his hand on his pea coat. Emi frowned and continued to bicker with him.

Ruki strode up to me in all of his flamboyant glory, smirking at the scene. "Those two really do seem like siblings, don't they? The way they argue so often. Rather cute, if I do say so myself," he said, bringing his hand to his lips to stifle a giggle. I looked up at him carefully to follow his lingering gaze on Sakuya.

One of the things about Ruki was that he was never afraid to be his ever-girly self, or to speak out about pink being his favorite color or gossip about the hotties on the baseball team with Emi. He never had any secrets, because he always gave them away, and preferred to share everything about himself with everyone he knew, as if to say 'Yes, I'm gay, and I'm no different that you are'.

But there was always something about him that even the ever-perceptive Sakuya either chose to ignore or never fully grasped. And that was Ruki's infatuation for him. Stupid things like playful comments and sincere smiles, rarities for Sakuya that he only displayed around the three of us, always made Ruki shy and giddy. On the rare occasions that Ruki would space out, he did so watching Sakuya's back.

"That reminds me... why the hell are we even here? I have to go home and study for my math exam tomorrow morning and I'm wasting time with you guys watching a stupid ghost show," I said, taking my time to scowl at each of them. I was still in my baggy white T-shirt with the Domo logo in the middle, and my fuzzy pink pajama bottoms from earlier this morning. I hadn't even been able to straighten my hair, so it was waving in all sorts of crazy directions. Sundays were normally remedial school days, but I skipped to sleep in and catch up on my brother's copies of Yu Yu Hakusho. I had read the series a dozen times, but I never tired of it.

Everyone else, who had indeed attended the remedial classes and were thus still clad in their uniforms, eyed my ridiculous appearance and shared loud laughter.

"I didn't even notice. Sorry, Fukunuma. Emergency summons are emergency summons, though. Ah, by the way, your shoulder is bleeding," said Sakuya, grabbing a tissue out of the box on the window sill and handing it to me. I dabbed at the little wound, resisting the urge to swat at the smaller creatures that seemed to have gathered while we were talking. Ruki commented about my sporadic random cuts, but for the most part, I ignored it.

"I didn't call everyone here to goof around and watch a stupid television show. It has to do with our next project. You see, the drama club is planning a costume party and wants us to make murals and decorum to spook out the cafeteria."

"It's the middle of March, why are they having a costume party now?" I asked, noticing how Sakuya's expression changed from focused to exasperated.

"Who knows? I didn't bother asking because it didn't seem good for business and I probably wouldn't want to know anyway. But that's beside the point. Emi, you'll be in charge of centerpieces and party favors. Ruki, I'm putting you in charge of making sculptures and props. We might as well throw in something eye-catching. I'll focus on basic organization and taking photos from the party itself."

I cleared my throat, getting Sakuya's attention back. He raised an eye brow, urging me to say what was on my mind. "…And…?"

"…'And' what, Fukunuma…?" He asked, before realizing that he had forgotten about me and shaking his head. "Oh! Right, right. You will be in charge of making back drops and posters. Preferably of specters or basic monsters. Werewolves, Vampires, etcetera. You can balance that and your math homework, right?"

"Math _exam_, asshole. As in _mid-terms_. But, I suppose I don't see why I couldn't..."

"Excellent. Now that we have everything settled, a bit of homework for everyone. The party itself is in four weeks, which gives us just enough time to get everything together. They're going to be holding it in Nishinaka-san's family temple, so that should give you a general idea of how everything should look. I want you guys to bring me basic sketch ideas by Thursday at our regular meeting time, no later or there will be punishments. Am I understood?"

"Yeah, Yeah, we hear you! We'll probably have everything by tomorrow as usual, so don't get your panties in a twist, Saku-tan," Emi said, pulling on her jacket and messenger bag. Ruki followed suit, smiling reassuringly back at our club head. "Oh! I just remembered something! Mana-senpai, your birthday is the thirteenth, right?"

"Ah, Friday the thirteenth, if I'm not mistaken. The day of the party. I'll be sure to tell the drama club, I'm sure they'd be thrilled," said Sakuya, beaming as he rested his chin on his hand.

I looked to the far wall, glaring a hole in it. Damn that Emi. I'd get her back for that one. "What the hell should it matter? And anyway, what idiot would have a Halloween party in April, much less celebrate their birthday at one? I'd rather go Sakura viewing with my family, like every year."

"Why don't you loosen up and hang out with your friends for a change? This is the first time you'll have other plans on your birthday, right, Mana?" I frowned, looking under my lashes at Ruki, who pat my head affectionately. "Anyway, we have to get home too. It looks like it's gonna start raining out soon. I already know what I wanna do, so I'll probably have a few ideas to show you at lunch tomorrow, Saku. 'Till then." He waved and bounced after Emi down the hall, yelling after her to share her umbrella, to which she made a sarcastic comment about him being a sissy.

I couldn't help but smile a little at the two. They were too funny sometimes. Apparently, Sakuya thought so too, because he let out a chuckle as he stood up and began gathering the strewn items from his portfolio and placing them back in the black folder carefully. It was then I realized that we were alone.

"Um, yeah, I'm just gonna head out too-"

"You don't have an umbrella?"

He looked rather bored after making this statement, raising an eyebrow at my cotton jacket that obviously was far from water proof.

"No, it was partly sunny when I left my house so I didn't really think-"

"I'm walking you home, then."

…

"Um… say again…?"

He smirked slightly, shoving the folder in his bag and snapping it shut. "I have an umbrella, I don't mind sharing. And It would be rude to let a girl walk home alone, at night, in the pouring rain. In her fuzzy pink P.j.'s, no less."

I walked over to the window and groaned, resting my forehead against the cool glass. The clouds were a dark gray, but light enough that the street lights were only just starting to turn on. The rain was coming down as though someone were holding a hose above the windows while holding their thumb over the spray. The dirt roads had streams running through them that ran into the over grown grass on the sides.

I looked over my shoulder at his silly smirk and couldn't help but laugh. "Since when did you have a sense of chivalry?" He never really offered to do anything nice. He just did it without saying a word, or turned it around to make it look like it was a joke.

"I don't really know. Today feels like a good day to change the pace of things. What say you?"

There was something about the gleam in his gaze that made my heart flutter a bit. But, as per my usual performance, I put up an air of arrogance and snorted at him, ignoring the growing fire in my chest. "Sure. If you say so."

* * *

**Let me know what you think thus far. I'll answer any questions you guys may have. Unless you're writing an unsigned review, then I have no real way of replying ._. I wouldn't want to give away important spoilers here.**

**~Rachael**


	2. StRoll

**Phoenix, as I said before thanks for putting up with my constant asshattery and sticking with me ._. It seriously means a lot.**

**You too, Noface. I know I owe you that contest prize, and I promise you will get it.**

**I'm not used to keeping my chapters below 7-10 thousand or so words ._. In fact, the first chapter of Celestial Bride was over 11 thousand. But I kind of wanna take a different approach with this.**

**Enjoy**!

* * *

The walk home was silent for the most part. Mostly because of how awkward the situation was. Sakuya hadn't mentioned that the umbrella he had was only a hand one, so it was rather small, and meant for one person. I continually insisted that I didn't mind walking home in the rain. After all, my house was only a few blocks away from the school. But he only sighed, and kept walking in step with me.

When the rain fall grew heavier, and the water was penetrating our sides, he actually put his arm around my waist and pulled me in closer to himself, blaming it on the rain and stating that it couldn't be helped. But it really could have. What was up with him today? He wasn't the kind of person who openly embraced body contact or asked to assist someone. If someone so much as brushed fingers with him, his reaction would be to jerk away with a ghost of a scowl or to just scowl entirely without an apology o any sort. He avoided it like the plague. And if he wanted to help someone, he did it without question. Today though, he seemed... almost nervous about something.

Looking up at him in the rain, I thought back to the day that Emi brought me into the ranks of the art club.

_"Senpai, Senpai! This is Higurashi Sakuya! He's my cousin, but people always mistake us for being siblings! I don't see why, though. We look nothing alike!"_

_Maybe from her perspective, but the boy I saw before me had such a striking resemblance to the smaller girl that it shocked me. The same curly charcoal strands, the same electric green eyes, and some of the same facial structure. They must have been pre-dominant traits in their family. It wasn't until he finished cleaning his thick black glasses on his shirt and placed them back on the bridge of his nose that I could see why she wouldn't have noticed it. His glasses were thick, and did well to hide his high cheek bones and the almond-shape of his eyes. They were strikingly large, like Emi's. And If I remembered correctly, Emi told me before without my asking that her grandfather was Korean._

_Sakuya scratched at the thick scruff under his neck, yawning. "Saku-tan, were you sleeping again?" Emi asked in a scolding manner._

_He frowned at her childish tone, propping one leg up on the stone wall he was perched on. "Who could get any sleep with those idiots whooping and hollering their damn lungs out? I don't understand why Ruki is on the basketball team… he's not suited for the lifestyle of a jock. He's too…. Soft."_

_I looked behind him to the basketball court, where the basketball team was, indeed, practicing. It seemed the Ruki he was speaking of was Ichinose Ruki, one of the school's main heart throbs and one of the most popular guys at school. Little did I know that that would all change not long after joining their group._

_"Oh, right! Saku-tan, this is Fukunuma Mana! She's in the grade above me, but we're really good friends!"_

_"Hardly," I sneered, still a little annoyed by her antics. Sakuya seemed to smile at this, urging Emi to go and cheer for Ruki. Before he came out, Emi had an insane crush on him, and Sakuya knew it well. Emi's eyes lit up like a wild fire, and she eagerly skipped over to the gate to scream out his name and bust a few silly karate moves, to which the players on the court laughed at._

_I was alone with this stunning boy, and I could feel my face heating up. The boys in town were all short haired jocks without a care for anyone other than themselves and the skanks they hung out with, and in my opinion, it was difficult to tell them apart most of the time. But this boy- far from it. He was so exotically beautiful I almost turned tail and ran a whole mile home just to get my sketch book and run back to draw him. His curls hung past his ears- almost to his shoulders. It was messy and shiny- as though he just crawled out of bed. But he didn't look like a bum. Infact, the heavy five o' clock shadow accompanied with his other features made him look mature, far older than seventeen. And his clean pressed suit jacket and slacks and the nerdy specks made him look sophisticated._

_He turned his head to smirk at me, patting the spot beside him on the wall. I had the feeling that he may have had an inkling as to what it was I was thinking at that time. He acted as though he were used to a stranger oggling him, which I now know that he was. I looked around a bit before realizing that he was pointing to me, and forced my feet to move so that I could climb onto the spot he was directing me to._

_"I'm surprised. All Emi talks about is her best friend, the artistic senpai at Kawabe High. When she first brought you up, she said she helped you get the pages of your sketch book back and that they were incredible. But I've only ever known you as 'Ghost Girl'." I felt myself flinch. He seemed to notice, because he changed the subject topic quickly. "I, myself, dabble in photography. I'm also vice president of the art club, so I know all of the art students. And yet I don't know you. Why haven't you joined the club if you're as good as she says?"_

_I frowned and kicked my heel off of the wall. That girl talked way too much._

_"I don't know. I don't seem to get along with people easily. Wherever I go, I'm always made fun of for something stupid. I trip over air, my grades aren't the best… like I said, stupid stuff. I guess I'm afraid that it'll just keep happening wherever I go." Of course, my tripping over air was because I could see strange things that others couldn't. Reptilian creatures, sometimes gaseous blobs that would grab me and-_

_He scoffed, scooting closer to me and sticking his nose in my face. I gasped and tried to back away, but if I had, I would have fallen off of the wall._

_"Heh? What's this about getting bullied? Why should you care what other people think of you? You know who you are, and that should be enough, shouldn't it? Besides, so far I haven't found anything weird about you other than the fact that you put up with my cousin."_

_I couldn't help but ease up and laugh a little. He smiled at me in turn, pointing out at the players on the field. "Ruki over there? Loves pottery and plastering male models. His favorite color is pink and all he ever does is read shojo manga. His excuse? Girls tell him he looks good in pink, shojo manga helps him charm them, and he's never bothered looking at female anatomy, claiming it's perverse and he prefers to base things off of his own body. In reality, however, he's gayer than Richard Simmons."_

_"Who…?"_

_"Um… never mind, but you get what I'm saying. He gets teased a lot by the guys on the team for it, but he takes it with a smile and tells them to get over it in the nicest way he knows how. Of course, there are suspicions, and he's not ready to verify them yet. But when he does, I know that he'll do it with a smile on his face that says 'fuck you, I'm proud of who I am'."_

_"Emi. Best painter and sketch artist I know. For the most part, she gets along with everyone she knows, but she knows how to tell a person off. You haven't known her long enough yet, but when the day comes where someone makes a rude comment to her, she'll turn into the biggest sardonic bitch I've ever seen. It's too cool."_

_He smiled, running a hand through his mass of curls. I couldn't help but stare at him under my lashes. He sure spoke highly of these two. Of course, one being his cousin I could understand. And even though he knew his best friend was gay…_

_"Um… what about you…?"_

_He ran a hand through his thick curls and smirked. "I don't know. What about me?"_

_I turned my head quickly to hide my face._

_He laughed._

_"Me? Well, people don't tend to tease me much anymore. After all, we were kids and I generally don't like to talk to people who are abnormally normal."_

_I blinked, turning back to raise an eyebrow in his direction. "Abnormally normal?"_

_"You know, people who follow society's stereotypes to a T. Typical gossip girls and personality lacking guys. Which, if you haven't noticed, is pretty much everyone in this town. It's a rarity to find people who go outside of the stereotypes, and follow a path entirely their own. And the fact that Emi's your new lackey proves it. She may seem a bit strange, but she and I have the same way of thinking when it comes to people. And the fact that she chose to stick with you, means that you're more special than you'd like to think, Fukunuma."_

I came out of the memory, smiling. Sakuya turned and looked down at me, sneering slightly. "Ah. What's this? You seem to be enjoying our walk quite a bit, Fukunuma."

It was then that I realized that I was resting my head on his shoulder, and I shoved him away from me, losing my shelter from the impending shower. He stumbled backward, back resting against a wooden fence, dropping his umbrella. He cringed, standing up off of the wall and raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oi, I was kidding. What was that for?" He attempted to dust himself off before realizing that doing so while drenched would fail for sure. He flung the umbrella back up over his head and glared at me over his shoulder popping his hip out and pouting before stalking ahead. "Just for that, you can get wet. I don't care."

I shot a glare at him before running back under the safety of his umbrella, hugging his arm to my chest.

This seemed to catch him off guard again, because he stuttered and completely dropped his umbrella this time. "Hey, what are you-"

"White t-shirt. No bra. Do the math oh fantastic and wise president."

I could have laughed at how red his face became if I hadn't been so embarrassed myself.

"Ah… geeze… I really didn't think walking you home would turn out this way… I was gonna say something important too but now I'll just look like a pervert."

My head snapped up. His glasses hand fallen to the bridge of his nose, so that I could see his eyes more clearly. They were half lidded, and gazing off to the side while he scratched his head.

"Jeeze. You didn't even think to grab your coat?" he said, unbuttoning the heavy pea coat and draping it around my shoulders. I watched him pick the umbrella back up and hand it to me, now in his white dress t-shirt that was quickly getting soaked. "Um… sorry, Fukunuma. On second thought, I'll just walk ahead. I need to cool off my head for a sec…"

He was a good ten feet in front of me before I started walking in pace behind him. What could he have meant? I looked down at my feet, cautiously looking back up at him. "So, um, Higurashi... Are you okay today? You've been acting weird since the meeting ended... Weirder than usual anyway," I said, scratching the bridge of my nose. He didn't acknowledge me, though. He peered off to the side and smiled a little, looking back at me.

"I'm gonna head this way. It'll make my trip a little quicker."

"Huh? But, your stuff-"

"Take it with you. I'll be fine until tomorrow."

His eyes were hidden under his glasses, and he quickly began sprinting to the left side of the fork in the road. I frowned and shook my head. The weather must have been getting to him or something. I shrugged the coat higher onto my shoulders and tightened my grip on the handle.

"Yeah. Definately the weather."


	3. ScHolarship

**Sorry for the lack of updates, guys. A lot of shit's going on right now. Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if I were to someday develop Gamophobia. Parents are dumb.**

**School's musical is Godspell this year, too. She mixed up the ****parts, so the only real lead is Jesus, but I get to sing the character Nick's part in Tower of Babel , and Morgan's part for Turn Back O' Man.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"I'm home," I called out, peering around the doorway to the living room to see if Mom was still where I left her. No one occupied the tatami mats by the coffee table, so I looked right, trying my luck in the kitchen. She was sitting on one of the high barstool chairs that went with our high table, speaking to my Dad who was sitting directly across from her. He looked tired, as usual.

My dad was a salary man. He worked at the bank in town, as both a financial adviser and pretty much the go to guy for handling bills and taxes. His forte was crunching numbers and solving equations. He used to be a calculus teacher at some private institution in Tokyo when he was younger. And even before that, all he ever wanted to involve himself in was mathematics. I know, what a loser, right?

But my Dad's a pretty okay guy for lacking any real personality. I mean, he doesn't pry too much into my personal life and I prefer to talk to him over my nosy Mom anyday. I don't really understand how they ended up together. Or even produced for that matter. Two, children no less. The sun shine's out Fukunuma Yumiko's ass and I'm fairly certain that she barfs and shits rainbows on occasion. Don't get me wrong; I'd kill for my Mom. She's the best Mom a girl could have. The issue is, I am pretty sure I'm the least girliest girl in Tottori prefecture. So having regular heart to hearts with Mom is a big fat hell no.

My dad noticed me first. He took his glasses off of his face and pulled a handkerchief out of his breast pocket, cleaning them carefully. I stepped up into the kitchen and pulled up a seat beside Mom, where a feast of teriyaki pork hot pot and fresh made sushi beconed to me with all of its colors and little steam hands. My eyes drooped and I could feel the drool slipping from the corner of my mouth.

As I began digging in to the wonderful meal, I noticed that mine was the only plate made up. Dad had put his glasses back on and was resting his face in his hands. Mom looked worse than the first time I told her I could see monsters when I was a kid. Her skin was so pale, a sickly green compared to her usual color. Her eyes looked wide and afraid. With a sudden understanding as to why I was the only one eating, I swallowed and carefully set my chopsticks down.

"Hey, guys...? Is everything all right? You look a little..." I trailed off, pushing my plate away. Dad looked at Mom, who looked far from ready to talk.

"Mana, we have something important to ask you, and we want you to be honest with us," dad said, rubbing his temples. I hadn't noticed it before, but his wrinkles looked a little deeper, and ran a little longer than usual.

"Um... Okay, I guess. But, before you start, is this about the biology test last week...? Because I swear, I studied all night with Emi over the phone, but Izumi-sensei switched the questions and-"

This seemed to snap mom out of her trance, because she whipped her head around so fast I was surprised it didn't snap off of her shoulders. "Switched the questions? What the- were you planning on cheating?!"

I then remembered that it would probably be a good idea to burn the contents of my waste bin later. I was never a comfortable liar around my parents, so rather than trying to defend myself, I gave a nervous grin and shoved a piece of sushi into my mouth, muttering an incoherent answer and sipping at my tea. My mom groaned and massaged her temples rigorously. "It was Emi on the other line, I should have known better..."

"We're getting off track, here! I don't care about any of that!" Dad shouted, standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. "We got a letter in the mail today stating that you've won the illustration contest as well as the scholarship money that goes with it to True Cross Academy in Tokyo! I want to know how the hell you found out about this contest and why True Cross of all places!" He was seething by this point. Mom reached across the table, touching his hand and telling him to calm down before his blood pressure shot up.

Needless to say, I didn't know what he was talking about. I was already a first year student in high school, and my chance to apply for any sort of scholarship was non existent. On the eighth grade placement test, I was ranked number eighty-seventh out of one hundred, and every time my mom suggested I entered an art competition I would chicken out. I might be better at drawing than most, but I'm not as good as some art student from Nagoya, or someone who actually lived in a cultured region. I was dumb, and had about as much influence as a kid with attitude problems. The fact that I realized this myself was enough to know better than to bother with a scholarship. Besides, going to our little school here in town wasn't so bad. I got to stay close to mom and dad, and I wouldn't have to worry about problems that normal girls would have going to school alone in the city. You know, things like kidnappers, or purse snatchers, or even-

"Mana! Answer me!" Dad's shout made me jump.

"Look, I told you already, didn't I? I never bothered to apply for a scholarship because my grades are so terrible. And there are people out there that are, like, a billion times better than I'll ever be at art who are more likely to get a scholarship to such a big school. It's gotta be some kind of mistake!" Dad plopped back down, seeming to have deflated a little. "..And if I may be so bold, why the hell does it matter where The scholarship is from? The most you guys would have to pay for are my living expenses, and even then I could just get a job and pay for them myself. Also, True Cross Academy is supposedly one of the best schools in Japan. While I may not qualify as genius material, I'm pretty sure that they could tutor me and help me better my studies so that I can get into university. So, really, when you think about it, even if this wasn't some sort of mistake wouldn't this have been great? What do you have against True Cross?"

I was expecting him to hesitate, but not for this long, and not while looking across the table at my mom. They were having some kind of silent conversation that was honestly leaving me feeling a little left out.

"Dear, maybe it's better-" my mom was cut off quickly.

"We've worked too damn hard for the last thirteen years to get away from this whole mess, Yumiko! Masahiro got it into his head that he could handle it better than we have been, but he was an idiot! I'll bet you anything he's the one who sent in the scholarship! Mana's problems won't be solved by joining that school! She'll get herself killed, and then what? You'll be a broken mess and we'll all be way in over heads, just as we were when Shiro got us involved in that damn peace sham with Mephisto! Of all people!"

When I got home from my walk with Sakuya I wasn't expecting to have a sit down over something that really was over my head. I had planned on throwing Sakuya's jacket in the dryer, hanging his umbrella in a place I was sure not to forget, then eat something and get myself ready for bed. It seemed that allowing myself to be distracted by food was my ultimate downfall... now that I think about it, every time I get distracted by food, something bad happens. I really have to work on that.

My mom and dad continued to argue over matters even after I left the room. I went to my room and after a while, just decided that I would get no where by eavesdropping. Lying on my bed, I reached into my pocket and took out my cell phone, flipping it open and scanning through my contacts to find the one person who could more than likely make sense of all this crap.

I hit the call button and listened to the ringing. After a while, there was an answer.

_"MANAAAAAAAAA! You finally called me!"_

I had nearly dropped the phone, startled. I had expected him to shout and say something stupid, but nothing that obnoxious. I glared at the phone for a few minutes before slowly bringing it back to my ear. "Speak up, a little. I don't think they cold hear you in AMERICA," I hissed. He laughed, muttering an apology before telling someone in the back ground he'd be right back. "...anyway, Masa, I have to ask you something really important, concerning Mom and Dad."

_"Oh, you mean the scholarship, right? I figured that'd be the reason you'd 's about time you guys got that thing. Stupid Shura thought she could hide it from me, but I found it and sent it right away! Isn't this exciting?"_

I didn't know who Shura was, nor did I particularly care. I had to hold my breath for a minute, to keep from screaming. Mom and Dad didn't know that I still spoke to Masahiro on occasion, due to some falling out he and Dad had a few years ago. Tonight had been the first time I'd heard Dad mention his name in months. I was never really informed on what happened that day. I was thirteen, and I had come home from school to find Dad and Masa getting into some kind of fist fight. Masa told dad he would show him that he was wrong and stormed out of the house with a suitcase. Masa had told me that he moved out to Tokyo, to try to start a family of his own and make it big in Tokyo's baseball league. He told me that if Dad ever got to be an overbearing asshole that he had no problem supporting me in Tokyo with him. But I never saw any drastic changes or unreasonable behaviors in Dad until tonight at dinner.

When I told him about our little family meeting, he listened quietly. "...He said that you got it into your head that you could handle things better than they could and that attending True Cross would get me killed. He also mentioned something about a peace sham with some guy with a weird name that I can't really pronounce. What exactly was he talking about? Do you know something about it?" Masa didn't respond to me for a long time. This hesitation was similar to what Dad had earlier. Like he wanted to tell me something, but didn't know how.

_"Mana, I'm going to ask you a few questions. Now, bear with me, they aren't going to make sense to you at first, but I promise they will when we're done. I know I can be a little annoying and secretive, but I have good reason for it. Now; when is the earliest that you can think back to seeing monsters?"_

I had to stop and think for a moment. They've always been there. There was never a time that I could say that I had a break from them, or that they weren't always with me somehow. Even in times where I would have some peace, I could hear them, cackling and calling my name.

There were a few times from when I was little and I remember faintly my parents had talked about taking me to see a psychologist, to see if this wasnt just some strange childish phase where my imagination ran wild. Kids on the playground used to get freaked out when I came around. They called me things like witch, ghost girl, and others that later became lewd and upsetting. Then there were times when Masahiro told me not to mention the monsters to Mom and Dad, or the people at school because they'd be sad, but nothing solid stuck out. These things happened all the time, there wasn't one specific memory, but a series of them. No matter how far I thought back-

"Sorry. I can't really say."

Masahiro hummed to himself for a minute, like he was thinking something over carefully. I could hear his fingers snap on the other line, and practically hear the grin in his voice when he said, _"Okay, then. What memory sticks out the most to you? About the monsters, of course."_

The answer almost come out of my mouth almost immediately. "When I was five. You took me to the park to play on the swings, and one of them shoved me off. I started crying, and you braided my hair to help me feel better." I felt my face burn and slapped my forehead, knowing something sappy was bound to spew out of his mouth. As much as he annoyed me, I had always looked up to Masahiro. He was bold and brave, and made friends easily. It would be a cold day in hell before I admitted that out loud, though.

To my surprise, he only laughed. _"That's an excellent example. Go on. What else do you remember?"_

The burning died down a little, and i found myself smiling. "...Then, you told me to stand up to them, give them something to be afraid of. You told me that if I showed them what I was made of, they'd leave me alone for good. So I got up and started shouting at them, and they went away. But... That was one of the few times that it ever happened.."

_"Think about this too: growing up, Mom and Dad talked about taking you to see a specialist, but when you told them about the monsters, did they ever outright tell you that you were being ridiculous or at you just had an over active imagination? You even drew pictures of them. What were Mom and Dad's reactions every time?"_

I remembered countless times, mentioning my condition to my parents. Mom's face would blanche, then she would hug me and tell me everything was okay. My dad always looked irritated, like it deeply troubled him, but otherwise. He would just be silent.

Taking my silence as an answer, Masa continued,_ "Despite everything, they never outright told you that you were making it up, or that they didn't believe you. Mom and dad aren't liars, Mana. You know this better than anyone."_

They never lied. Even when my cat Ikki died when I was seven, they told me outright that he was hit by a car and sugarcoated the story, with promises of heaven and better places, and of getting me a new pet. One less likely to run out the door when my Dad is heading out to work. When Masa left home, they just told me it was understand best kept as a secret. The one who gave me something to chew on when I kelt prying into the situation was Masahiro, and I knew from experience that he had no problem lying if it was for a good reason.

"So then... You're saying that they believed me this whole time? I always thought on those level that maybe you believed me, too, but-"

"_It wasn't that I really had to believe you. Because I've been able to see them since the day you were born. Mom and Dad? They can see them too. Because Mom and Dad, despite what you were told, used to be Exorcists. They were in same profession that I am in now."_

* * *

**Oh, one more thing. If you have a tumblr, come follow me. My username is Ergleeson.**


	4. ClOwn

**_Guysguysguys_.**

**Holy _shit._**

**I have to sing on a stage on Tuesday.**

**Prom is in _two weeks._**

**_I graduate from fucking high school in three weeks_.**

**I have too many feels.**

**My life is in chaos. I'm really sorry for the lack of updates. If you wanna kick my ass, you Have every right to do so.**

* * *

I don't know what it is about the Sendai river, but it has always calmed me. We lived on the outskirts of the town of Chizu, a lovely little run down community. Currently, I was in town, hanging out under the Chizu train station where the Sendai ran along its edge. The scenery in that area wasn't particularly beautiful. The only thing it really had going for it were the few bits of shrubbery that lined the sand banks, giving it a little bit of color. This crummy little river wasn't all that bad though. I kept a memory locked away here that was very dear to me, and helped me calm down whenever I was troubled.

The first time that I had ever been here had been with Sakuya, in the fall of my freshman year. It had been a few months after Emi turned my world upside down and forced me into my strange friendship with she, her cousin, and Ruki. Sakuya had told us that he needed help building a portfolio, and wanted to take pictures of the river. Emi and Ruki had prior engagements, so they turned him down. I felt kind of awkward, going with him alone. But I figured it would be a good way to learn more about him, as both my future Vice President and... Well, other things...

We must have skipped across the sand strips for about an hour or so, in complete silence. The only sounds down in the trench would be the occasional clicking of his shutter, or a Seagull cawing and splashing in the water. I had begun to feel a little nervous, choosing to hang around on a log while poking at a floating black speck that appeared to be sucking on my finger. A lot of the drift wood on the shore line apparently belonged to pieces of an old shrine that had been washed away in a flood a year or two ago. Some of them still had arcane inscriptions from some weird religion carved into the wood that must have held some sort of power, because whenever I came to this place, the monsters were scarce.

I know I said before that I don't really believe in ghosts and stuff, but I seriously couldn't bring my self to believe that these guys were. They were more than capable of touching me, and picking up solid objects, and when I looked at them, they didn't appear transparent. They were as solid and vivid as the boy beside me.

At that moment I had jumped and scooted over on my log, realizing that Sakuya had taken a seat beside me. He scrolled through the images on his camera for a few seconds before he smiled in satisfaction, extending his arm to give it to me. I took the small Nikon and held it carefully. It was an amateur run of the mill digital camera, but Sakuya could capture such wonderful things with it. The pictures he had taken of the land were absolutely incredible, given the obvious lack of photogenic material.

_"So, tell me honestly what you think. And don't just say that they're good, that pisses me off,"_ he'd said, making a face that told me he was quite serious. I flipped through them one by one. Some he had gray scaled, some he added in sepia tones, and some he left just as they are. The quality of the camera was rather good for a cheap brand, and the images on the small screen were beautiful. He really knew how to take something ugly and make it beautiful. He had been watching the screen change over my shoulder, and when I began to near a certain number, he told me not to go passed it. But when I turned to ask him why, I accidentally hit the button, and I caught a glimpse of something strange before he snatched the camera away and began climbing the hill, heading back to his car.

It was a picture of me. Sitting on my log and fingering the black speck that was invisible to all save for myself.

The memory of that day still played over clearly in my head as I walked over to the same log we had been sitting on a year before. It was the exact spot where I realized I liked Sakuya. I felt my face heat up and pulled my knees to my chest, adjusting myself so that I wouldn't fall off as I sat down on it. A cool breeze blew by. It felt nice on my face, cooling the burning sensation.

Another one of those little black creatures floated by my face. I grabbed its crooked little tail and held it in place. It struggled a little, trying to break free of my grasp. These little guys didn't usually bother me as much as those ugly green monkey things and the imps did. The worse they usually did to me was cluster around my head and make it hard for me to see. In this crappy trench, there was hardly any demonic presence.

Oh. That's right. These little things are demons. Not just run of the mill monsters or weird spirits. Masa had told me about them the other night, just after he had told me that Mom and Dad had known and even had been able to see them all along. All of those years of being tortured and told that I was a witch, running home to my Mom and Dad for reassurance, only to be greeted with silence, and ignorance.

It had been a week since I called Masa. A week since we got that scholarship letter. After I hung up the phone with Masa I wasn't really sure of what to do. The utter shock of it all just overwhelmed me. I went most of the week without speaking a word to either mom or dad, and everything was awkwardly quiet during dinner. During the school days, I found myself spacing out on the imps that danced in the air in front of my face, taunting me. Their chittering laughter clouded my mind, made it harder to think. In art club, no one said anything to me about my weird mood. They could probably tell that I needed some space, considering I had been showing up everyday irritated to high hell. That, and there was no need to bother me, considering the lack of communication made me work faster. I got most of my posters sketched that week, but I was afraid that my mood might ruin the quality if I attempted any details.

In that time, Sakuya still hadn't really said anything to me. He just sort of avoided conversation and distracted himself with something as an excuse. At one point before entering the art room today, I could have sworn I'd heard Emi and Ruki yelling at him for something, but as soon as I had gone into the room, the two ran back to their stations, leaving Sakuya looking drained. Nobody said anything in that time. We all worked in silence for the first time since I'd joined the art club.

Feeling that wave of irritation hit me again, I kept my mind focused on the memory of last year, and reached into my pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. I really hated smoking, and I constantly made a point to ridicule the kids from my school who hung around in public places to smoke because they thought they looked cool. Yeah, yeah, I'm being hypocritical, but I don't smoke for the attention. If I did, I'd be hanging out with those flunkies up by the gas station. My dad quit smoking last year, and still had a carton he thought he'd hidden away in the garage. He'd said that cigarettes used to help him calm down when he was in a fowl mood, and that he'd been wrong for smoking them when he should have just faced his anger like a man.

When I thought about it, I had a temper that was on par with his, and I wasn't a man, so honor didn't really strike a nerve with me. The first time I had tried them, I had been choking all day. I had to tell everyone that it was just a cold. I wasn't going to touch the nasty things ever again, when I over heard a kid saying that it took a while to really feel the effects of the nicotine to kick in one day in class. After that, I just kind of got myself weened onto them. Dad wasn't kidding when he'd said that they were calming.

I pulled out a packet of matches and struck one, holding the cigarette in my teeth and lighting it carefully. Within the first few hits, I felt a little more clear headed, and I was even able to push the thought of Sakuya away for a little bit.

Shit. I never gave him back his umbrella. Or his jacket.

My face twisted into a frown, and I hung my head between my knees, watching my hair pool around in a small heap on the ground. So much for that.

With the amount of time I'd been spending thinking about him recently, you'd think I'd confess to him already. The thing is, though, I was never completely positive as to whether or not he was interested. That time we spent together while he took pictures, and then discovering that he had taken a picture of me and tried to hide it...

...ok when I think about it that sounds a little creepy. I don't know... I guess I just had the impression that maybe he sorta liked me, and I guess that made my interest blossom into something... More. Good God I sound like such a sap.

But... After that day it seemed like he stopped going out of his way to be nice, and when it came to us being alone, he would make up excuses so that we wouldn't. Maybe it _was_ just a picture, and he knew I'd read to much into it. Whatever it was, after that day he put a distance between us. I knew that he had completely friend zoned me. I tried my best to keep the mind set that we would only ever be friends. That's why I sort of started up that snarky half-joking attitude towards him.

Then he told me he'd walk me home the other day and got all weird... And I even caught a glimpse of the Sakuya I had always wanted to see. The one who used to get flustered about stupid things and who I could have sworn...

I clenched my fist and brought it down sharply on my head.

_You idiot. He doesn't like you that way. You were friend zoned, stop reading into things and-_

Turning to look over my shoulder, I thought I had heard a car pull up close to the guardrail in the train station parking lot. I hid my cigarette behind my back, watching that It didn't touch my hair, and hid behind the wall. It could have been one of the engineers, checking in for his overnight shift and very likely to rat me out to the local police, or some of the local drug dealers that liked to hang out here and could get the wrong impression of me. Either way, that would mean I would have to high tail it outta there quickly.

But I didn't see some beat up old junk car, or a common one. Instead, it was a pink Cadillac limousine, whose driver was currently exiting and making his way toward the back passenger door. I stood quickly. Maybe it was some real estate agent coming here to survey the land, or someone from the government who wanted to Merge Chizu with the capital, like they were doing with most of the other small towns these days. Whoever it was, they must have been pretty loaded to have a car that looked and ran that beautifully.

I was half expecting some ditz in a suit equally colorful as her car to step out while trying not to cringe at all of the empty beer cans and burger wrappers around her ankles. Instead, there was a man- a huge ass man- swinging his legs out and exiting the vehicle with a scowl on his face. He was clad in this old fashioned white suit and his arms and legs were decorated pink, white and red with polka dots and stripes. He looked up at the sky and by this point he looked about ready to scream.

"Belial, if this is a joke I am certainly in no mood," he announced in this ridiculously posh tone.

His driver shook his head. "I assure you sir, I have followed the directions exactly as they were written."

"It's a bloody trash pit how on earth are we-" The posh man turned then, looking down and locking eyes with me as I peeked a little too far over the edge. I jumped, flicking my cigarette into the water and rushing to grab my school bag and school shoes before he could have a chance to say anything to me. Of course, It was already too late by that point.

"Why hello there, miss!" The posh man exclaimed, grinning despite his currently sour disposition. "I believe we may be a little lost! Would you mind sparing a moment of your time?"

I thought about it for a minute. On one hand, my mom and dad told me never to speak to strangers. On the other, this guy may have actually needed help. But then again, when did I ever care about helping others?

I had began to head towards the opposite hill, trying to focus more on the splashing of my feet as I ran through the water rather than his voice calling after me, when he said something that made me stop dead in my tracks.

"I'm looking for a girl named Fukunuma Mana. I was told that she might be here. You are Fukunuma Mana, yes?"

Fuck, why did I stop? Now there was no way out of it. Way to go, idiot. I turned around begrudgingly, scowling at the man on the other side of the river. I swore to myself that I would find out what idiot told him I would be there and end their sorry life. But who could that even have been? And why was this weirdo looking for me in the first place?

I stuffed my shoes in my bag and slung the strap over my shoulder before dragging my feet towards the hill the man was standing on. No use avoiding it now. I had begun to climb the hill to where he was.

When i got to the top and hopped over the guardrail, I gave him another once over. He grinned, flashing a blinding smile as his tired eyes crinkled in the corners. Upon closer inspection, this guy's face was really... Well, sharp. Like, his ears and teeth were pointed more so than they probably should have been. And his eyes were practically glowing. They were a shade of green that reminded me of acid, and his pupils were slit, like a cats. He made me extremely nervous. I was having a hard time deciding whether it was because of his physical appearance, that weird smile, or the fact that he would probably give me a lecture for smoking like I was some kind of delinquent.

"Look, please don't go to the police. My mom and dad would kill me if they found out I smoked. I'm just having a bad day, you know?" Christ, I sound so fucking guilty. There's no way this guy would go for it.

Instead of that lecture I had been expecting for the last five minutes, he laughed. He laughed right in my face, and even had the gall to point at me while doing so! I was too surprised to get angry with him. I just stood there, gap mouthed and looking utterly stupid.

"Dear, why on earth would you believe that I would call the police for such a trivial matter? Of course, smoking is a rather unattractive habit for a young lady such as yourself to adopt, but who am I to tell you otherwise?" He asked, pulling a handkerchief out of his breast pocket to dab at the corners of his eyes.

"Um..." I started, biting my tongue. "So... You're not going to tell anyone...?"

He shook his head and winked. "It'll be our little secret."

Okay. Maybe I could spare a few minutes to talk to this guy. "So... Um... Why exactly are you looking for me...? I mean, who are you, anyway?"

He beamed and plucked the top hat from his head and bowed, the obnoxious curl of his purple cowlick tickling my nose. "In public I go by the name Johann Faust V. You, Fukunuma Mana-hime, may call me Mephisto Pheles."

My thoughts came to an immediate halt when I remembered that really weird name dad mentioned last week when the True Cross scholarship arrived in the mail. It was his. Whatever scandal my parents had been apart of, it involved the man standing before me.

"You know my parents, don't you?"

He beamed. "Yumiko was quite the exorcist back in her day. Masashiro, too. Yumiko was the prettiest girl in her class, excellent with ranged weaponry, and had the sweetest disposition. Masashiro was always good at his job, could swing a sword as naturally as he could breathe. But that temper, oh goodness me, just thinking about it gives me the chills. He was not one you wanted to make angry." Setting his hat back atop his head, he looked up at the thickening clouds and cringed.

I shook my head. "What the heck? All this exorcism nonsense is coming back into play. Why the hell didn't anyone tell me about this sooner? Don't I have a right to know?" Didn't I though? My whole family was keeping secrets from me. But why only me? God the urge for another cigarette was coming on strong. "I thought I was crazy. For fifteen years I've been able to see all sorts of weird shit. Every time I went to my family, they didn't even address me properly about it. I thought I was some kind of basket case. Then I find out a week ago that all this time they could see these things too. These... These..."

I had trailed off, not realizing that I had been balling my fists and the rage had been building, until Mephisto squelched it by placing a hand gently on my head. I looked up at him, seeing him smile knowingly.

"Demons?"

Again, I jumped. I looked up at him. The word struck a strange terror in me that rattled my very core. His Cheshire grin grew, and I felt the first few drops of rain hit my face. He snapped his fingers, and an odd candy-coated umbrella appeared in a puff of pink smoke. He opened it over my head and offered his free hand to me as the rainfall grew heavier.

"H-How did you do that?" I asked, marveling at the ugly monstrosity that he had conjured.

His expression never changed.

There seemed to be a bit of Nostalgia in his eyes as he said, "You know, it's amazing how much you look and act like your father. Your way of speaking is a lot like his, as well. Then again, Masahiro takes after your mother in the same ways."

He held out his free arm for me to take.

"Why don't we find someplace dry and speak privately?"


End file.
